Is São Paulo a Global City? The Cartography of Urban Spaces in the Vision of Individuals in International Mobility

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze the experience of individuals engaged in international mobility in the urban spaces of São Paulo. First, we discuss studies of global cities and their intersection with the experiences of human mobility. After this we provide a description of the global city context of São Paulo, with its urban projects and its history of international mobility. Then, based on the narratives of 20 interviewed migrants, with individuals of different nationalities, ages and social classes, and the observation of the narrated spaces, we present a cartography of the experiences of individuals involved in international mobility in the urban spaces of São Paulo. The different uses of the analyzed spaces were found to create paradoxes of citizenship and of feeling of belonging to the city, which result in the perception of São Paulo as global only in specific spaces, mainly those that are more elitist and central that are used by national and international members of elite groups.